


Strangers Like Me

by RWBYsinner



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24732673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RWBYsinner/pseuds/RWBYsinner
Summary: Things have been peaceful and joyous since the end of the war. Especially for Catra and Adora, finally being able to live together without the worries of war and hate weighing down their hearts and minds. That is until someone shows up to try and kidnap the Princesses. Is this just some bandit trying to make a ransom, a hired merc working sate an old grudge, or are they the missing link to a part of Etheria's forgotten past?
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 49





	1. A New Face

It was a lazy and extremely pleasant morning in Castle Brightmoon as the rising sun came to bath a sleeping Catra in its warm glow. The cat-girl smiled to herself while coming out of her slumber, feeling the most relaxed and comfortable she has ever been in her life. On top of the warm light that bathed her fur, she also had the feeling of strong arms cradling her and a familiar heartbeat against her back trying to steadily lull her back to dreamland. Unfortunately, Catra couldn’t afford to go back to sleep as she knew that she and her bedmate had a full day of planning and likely rebuilding ahead of them. After all, it had only been a week since Horde Prime’s defeat and with the war finally over it was time to start fixing all of the damage that The Horde and The Heart of Etheria had caused to the world and its people.

‘Damage that I helped cause’ thought Catra, her thoughts instantly souring her mood before the arms around her body hugged her closer to the person behind her. Smiling to herself, Catra turned slowly in the embrace to face the slumbering blonde that lay next to her. ‘Hey Adora’ she thought happily, gazing at the peaceful face of her lifelong friend, turned enemy, turned warily friend, and finally turned girlfriend. It had been a shock to pretty much no one in their circle of friends when the two announced this new relationship, though some of the common folks remained understandably concerned about their savior being romantically involved with a former enemy leader.

That being said, now that Catra had Adora back and their bond was stronger than ever she wasn’t about to let some hushed whispers of doubt come between them. Not that it wasn’t just a little intimidating to be dating The She-ra. Princess of Power, Savior of Etheria, eight-foot-tall gorgeous and buff, blonde, magic, warrior goddess. She couldn’t afford to bring down Adora’s reputation with poor behavior so Catra found herself having to swallow her pride and snarky-ness more often than she’d like and work extra hard on earning the peoples’ forgiveness. With Adora’s, Melog’s, and their friends’ support of her though, Catra found herself having an easier time being nice to people.

“Catra?” yawned Adora, breaking her girlfriend out of her thoughts. “What’re you doing awake so early? You’ve never been a morning person before.”

Catra smiled again. “Yeah well, I have to start waking up early if I want to get all of the day’s work out of the way before dinner.”

Adora allowed herself to plop back down onto the bed as she grabbed the other girl’s hand to caress it lovingly, smiling gently into her heterochronic eyes. “You have been working really hard this past week. I’m really proud of you Catra.”

Catra flushed slightly, still not used to genuine praise and brought Adora’s hand up to cradle her face. “I know” she said. “You’ve told me that everyday for the past week.”

“Because it’s true and I want you to know that I appreciate everything that you’re doing for the people of Etheria” Adora stated, bringing their foreheads together and causing Catra to purr in joy. “You make me so proud to love you.”

Catra was overwhelmed with love of her own for her girlfriend at that confession and glanced at the blonde’s smiling face before the two leaned towards each other for a kiss. “I love you too Adora” whispered Catra, barely over her own purring once the kiss had ended and the couple settled back into a comfortable near silence.

A silence which didn’t last long unfortunately as knocking at their door startled the two. “Adora! Catra! Come on you two we have a lot of work to get done today!” shouted Glimmer from behind the door.

“No rest for the wicked” laughed Catra before she reluctantly pulled herself out of her girlfriend’s embrace and out of their bed.

“Should we go back to sleep then?” asked Adora jokingly, getting out of bed herself and doing some morning stretches.

“Not unless you want Sparkles to teleport us out of here in our pajamas” replied Catra, passing by and petting Melog as the space cat lay sprawled at the end of the large bed just as Catra had done years ago.

Once the two were changed out of their usual sleepwear and into their normal clothes they exited the room to find Glimmer impatiently waiting outside of their door. “Finally!” exclaimed Glimmer. “Any longer and I would’ve had to teleport you guys out into the conference room in your pajamas.”

Adora and Catra shared a glance and smile before Catra crossed her arms. “You really need to relax some Sparkles. Why don’t you do for one of your spa days at Mystacor.”

Glimmer groaned dramatically. “I would if I didn’t have pretty much all of Etheria breathing down my neck to lead the restoration efforts right now. Now I get why my mom was always so unbearably wound up all the time.”

“Well she didn’t have the Best Friends Squad to help her out” stated Adora, placing a hand comfortingly on her best friend’s shoulder. Catra smiled but still chose to keep her distance from the pda, still a little uncomfortable with anything that wasn’t just her and Adora. 

Glimmer smiled at her regardless though as the cat-girl’s true feelings were shown when Melog brushed itself against her leg. “I’m so lucky to have you guys” she stated happily, hugging Adora and placing her hand on Melog’s head.

“Speaking of the squad. Where’s your Much better half Sparkles?” asked Catra teasingly, earning a half-hearted glare from the Queen.

“You always have to spoil the moment. Don’t you?” asked Glimmer rhetorically.

“It’s what I’m hear for” shrugged Catra smugly.

Glimmer pulled away from Adora to look the blonde in the eyes. “I still don’t get what you see in her.”

Adora just smiled and shrugged before repeating her girlfriend’s earlier question. “Where is Bow though?”

“He’s in the conference room waiting for the other princesses to arrive. Come on” informed Glimmer before leading her friends down the corridor.

It was about five minutes later however when Melog suddenly stopped and looked behind them. Catra was only one to notice though as Glimmer and Adora were discussing their next town to fix up. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

‘I think we’re being followed’ Melog telepathically replied, looking towards the high rafters.

Catra narrowed her own eyes at the thin shadows that managed to survive the light castle and barely managed to catch a glimpse of two eyes thanks to her enhanced vision. “Follow me” ordered Catra, walking calmly off to another hallway, far enough to be sure that she was out of the stalker’s line of sight before she had Melog make them invisible. It wasn’t until Adora and Glimmer turned a far corner that the figure showed up again, dashing soundlessly through the rafters after the two. Catra hopped on Melog’s back before the shape shifter effortlessly leapt up to the beams itself and began following the figure.

Even with her night vision Catra could barely manage to make the figure out of the shadow’s as they wore all black, but she was able to see enough that they didn’t lose the intruder. It also helped that this person was clearly following Glimmer and Adora. It wasn’t until the figure pulled out a pair of blow pipes though and loaded them with darts that Catra leapt into action. Leaping through the air and baring her claws, Catra nearly had the drop of the figure before they actually managed to avoid her attack and aim one of their own fists into her stomach, knocking all of the air out of the invisible girl. Before Catra could try to recover however, the figure fell onto its back and kicked her in the stomach with its feet, sending her into the ceiling and then falling towards the ground below.

Her fall was broken though was Melog caught her and landed by Adora and Glimmer, startling the two. “Catra!” shouted Adora concerned for her girlfriend before said girl held up a hand and pointed towards the rafters.

“Assassin” Catra gasped, still trying to catch her breath from two heavy strikes to the stomach.

Glimmer instantly teleported herself up into the shadows before using her magic to erase them, leaving the intruder exposed and sprinting straight towards her. The queen tried to fire a blast of light at the figure, but they were two fast and kneed Glimmer in her face before landing behind her and sweeping her legs out from under her. The intruder then leapt on top of the dazed princess and pulled out some powder and blew it into her face. “Wazzat?” Glimmer groaned before she found herself suddenly incredibly drowsy. Only managing to bring her consciousness back enough to teleport when a blinding flash of light distracted the attacker.

She-ra charged towards the assassin and actually managed to seemingly push the person on the defensive. They fought with a kind of feral grace that reminded the princess eerily of Catra, and luckily, she had plenty of unpleasant experience fighting her. That being said, it didn’t take long before the figure managed to dodge one of her sword swipes perfectly and land behind the blonde before dealing a crippling blow to the back of her right knee, quickly followed by a spin kick to the side of her head. Adora tried to regain her sense of awareness, but before she could the assassin managed to disarm her of her sword in that instance of distraction, causing the blonde to revert to her normal form and get pinned down onto her front.

She heard a piece of metal clink, but before anything could happen, the person’s weight was removed after a collision above her sounded. Regaining her sense of self and managing to turn around, Adora watched as the intruder and Melog fell to the ground below. The mystery person managed to worm their way out of the shape shifter’s embrace though and kick the large beast away before effortlessly contorting their body to land safely on their feet.

Melog wasn’t so lucky though as they hit the ground hard. There wasn’t a moment of peace though as a recovered Catra threw herself at their assailant. The two traded blows for a short while, but then the figure managed to clasp some sort of wrist guard on to Catra’s right hand and a sound pinged before Catra found her hand drawn to the ground and stuck there. “What is this!?” Catra growled.

The figure kneeled before Catra, just out of range of her claws, and spoke for the first time since this fight began. “Stay your hand sister. My quarrel is with the princesses, not you or your companion” said a man’s voice calmly.  
“I won’t let you hurt them” growled Catra, flipping over and managing to nearly strike her opponent with an axe kick, but the man dodged her just in time.

“I won’t, but our queen requires their presence” stated the figure, right before a newly formed She-ra pounced heavily on to where he’d just been standing.

“We’re not going anywhere with you!” exclaimed She-ra, readying herself for another round.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in the matter” stated the figure. “Her majesty’s orders were to bring you in at any cost.” The attacker then pivoted to catch and arrow that had been headed towards his back. “Sneak attacks won’t work on me archer.”

“Oh no? This one might” replied Bow, newly arrived at the scene with a confident smile on his face.

“I-“ The enemy started to say before the arrow he’d been holding burst into a cloud of purple mist that surrounded him. The assailant was only temporarily stunned however as he leapt from the cloud and landed shakily on his feet nearby. “Using my own weapons against me? Clever” he stated, before he was surprised by a flash behind him and a strong punch to the face, knocking him out cold.

“Gotcha!” cheered an extremely dreary Glimmer before she collapsed, being caught by Bow before she could hit the ground.

Once Catra’s restraint had been broken by Adora and Melog was back on its feet, the group surrounded the unconscious man. They decided to tie him up with one of Bow’s rope arrows, as well as Adora’s sword in rope form for extra precaution before they dragged him to the nearby conference room and placed him in one of the chairs. “Has no one arrived yet Bow?” asked Adora, concerned about the fact that none of the other princess were around.

“No, I haven’t seen or heard word from any of the others all morning. I was actually just about to go and get you guys when Glimmer appeared and managed to tell me to help” explained Bow.

“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions just yet, but I think this guy might have something to do with it” stated Catra, gesturing towards the unconscious man. “He told me that his queen wanted him to capture the princesses for her and assuming he wasn’t just talking about Adora and Glimmer it might’ve meant that he’s went after the others already.”

“I doubt this guy could’ve pulled all that off by himself” said Bow, uncapping a vial that he had in his pack and uncorking it before waving it under Glimmer’s nose causing the queen to suddenly jolt up straight.

“Ugh, that smells horrible Bow!” shouted Glimmer.

“Sorry, it’s the only real counter agent for that type of sleep powder” apologized Bow sheepishly.

“Speaking of. How did you know what kind of powder he used and why do you have some?” asked Adora.

“It’s a really unique kind of powder in color, texture, and smell. I recognized it because one of my older brothers sent some to me from one of his expeditions to an island far from the mainland. Apparently its made by mashing up a flower unique to the island. It’s a really powerful and fast acting sleep agent, but so rare that I didn’t want to waste it” explained Bow.

“So that means this guy’s either from that island or got his powder from it?” stated Catra, as she finished stripping the guy of whatever weapons she could find on his person. “It definitely seems like he was just here to capture. None of this stuff is lethal as far as I can tell.”

“So, who is he?” asked Glimmer, causing everyone to look towards the unconscious man.

“Well, we can’t ask him any questions while he’s out like this, but we can at least start with this.” Catra said before she began removing the mask and underlying wrap from his head. It was when it was all removed that the group stood stunned, in shock at the person before them.

He appeared to be the same race of being as Catra. Covered in fur, sure it was grey fur but, check, cat ears that were now visible with the hood removed, check, claws on his hand and feet now that his gloves and boots were removed, check, that just left. Catra bent down to the man’s level and pulled one of his eyelids open, only to reveal a grayed out feline eye. “No way” muttered Catra, letting that eye close again before opening up the other one, to see the same sight.

“Wait. Is he, blind?” asked Adora, in the same shock as Catra.

“I mean. It could just be a really unique eye color” suggested Glimmer. “We don’t know much about Catra’s people other than from Catra herself.”

“No” replied Bow. “I remember reading back at my dads’ library about Catra’s people, the Magicats. Before they disappeared entirely around twenty years ago, they were known to have yellow eyes as their common eye color, and rarer cases of blue eyes, but no grey.”

“Wait. My people disappeared?” asked Catra.

“Yeah. After their queen tried to call a peace summit between The Rebellion and The Horde. Something went wrong and it left their home of Half-Moon, the chosen meeting place for the summit, ruined. The Magicats though seemed to completely disappear. No one really knows what happened to them, but everyone was likely so distracted by the war that it was never investigated except by some historians like my dads” explained Bow.

“And you never thought to tell me any of this before!?” shouted Catra, before she calmed herself when Melog also flared up at their friend.

“Sorry, you never seemed to wonder about it and the war did kind of distract me from questioning it to” replied Bow, somewhat embarrassed by his lack of inquisitive initiative.

“No, you’re right” stated Catra. “I never really cared where I came from before this. I guess I kind of always figured that The Horde or Princesses wiped them out and that’s why I was the only one. I just didn’t know how close to the truth it was.”

“It might not be the truth Catra” reasoned Glimmer. “It’s like Bow said, your people just seemed to disappear, not get destroyed, and I think that this guy here is proof that they could still be out there somewhere.”

“But why make themselves known now? And why would their queen, who tried to make peace before, try to capture the princesses?” asked Adora.

Catra looked back towards the unconscious Magicat and grimaced. “Let’s find out.”


	2. Lost History

The male magicat groaned as he was slowly awoken by a familiar smell. “Lyn?” he called, but then recognized the other smells in the room, felt the bindings against his person, and allowed his head to drop in disappointment. “So, I’ve failed then.”

“Yeah. You failed” replied Catra.

“Tell me something sister” started the man. “Why do you defy her majesty’s wishes? Why defend the very people who spurned our existence in this land?”

“Look, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about” answered Catra. “I was raised in the Fright Zone and have never even met another one of my kind before you.” She then kneeled down to stare directly into the man’s face, forgetting for a moment that he was blind, and narrowed her own eyes. “So why don’t you tell me who you are and why exactly I should be letting you take the princesses away.”

The man seemed to regain his conviction at that, and his expression went from defeated to stern. “If you truly are an outsider then I have no more words for you. Especially now that can now tell just how much you’ve fraternized with the enemy.”

“Fraternized?” asked Glimmer.

“Yes, specifically with that one there” he answered, motioning with his head over to Adora. “Her scent is all over you traitor.”

That statement caused Adora and Catra to flush while Bow and Glimmer shot the couple a weird look. “What?” asked Catra, trying to hide her embarrassment through indifference. “We literally sleep in the same bed together. Of course, I smell like her.”

Adora then kneeled next to the man and placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, which instead made him flinch. “Look. We’re not here to stoke whatever hate that you seem to have for us. We just want to know why you hate us and where our friends are. We won’t hurt you. Please.”

The man stayed silent for a moment before he laughed slightly. “You speak with such compassion and honesty princess. It would appear that we may have misjudged the state of the outside world and its people. Y-you truly don’t have any idea of why I’m here.”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you” exclaimed Glimmer in frustration.

“Here we thought that your mother’s distain for us might’ve been passed down to you and her people, but it would appear as though we’ve simply become an after thought to her” stated the man.

“My mom hated you guys?” asked Glimmer.

“Speaking of Queen Angella. Where is she? Perhaps she could shed some light on the situation herself” said the magicat.

Glimmer mood instantly dropped, and she likely would’ve started to tear up if Bow hadn’t gripped her hand. She smiled gratefully to her boyfriend and turned back towards their captive. “She’s gone. We lost her a while ago in an incident.”

Catra herself started to sink away at her role in the “incident” before her own partner cradled her hand and Melog rubbed itself against her leg.

“I see” said the man. “My sympathies princess. And King Micah?’

Glimmer smiled at the mention of her dad. “He’s alive. Alive, well, and in Mystacor helping my Aunt Castaspella with the magic side of Etheria’s restoration.”

“Well we can’t afford to wait for him I’m afraid” stated the magicat.

“We won’t have to. Hold on” said Glimmer before she used her teleportation spell to disappear for a few moments before reappeared with both Micah and Castaspella.

It took a moment for Micah to regain himself but once he did his eyes widened at the man before him. “Devon?” he asked.

“Indeed, your majesty” replied Devon. “I’m honored that you would remember me after all these years.

“Well it’s hard to forget a blind cat-man, who used to train our guard as a courtesy” said Micah, before his eyes widened in realization of the situation. “Why are you here though? What happened to you all after Half Moon?”

“Our loses were great that day including that of the immediate royal family” answered Devon with saddened tone.

“Wait. Queen Bastia and King Baro are both gone?” asked Castaspella.

“Yes. They were lost in the panic and Queen Sekala took over rule of our people in her sister’s stead. She called all of our people back to our homeland and we’ve been recovering in seclusion ever since” informed Devon.

“So why reveal yourselves now? And why target the princesses?” asked Catra, the shocked looks on Micah’s and Castaspella’s faces telling her that Glimmer really hadn’t told them anything before bringing them here.

“You targeted my daughter?” asked Micah in disbelief.

Devon nodded solemnly. “Yes. After Half Moon we began to resent The Alliance and The Horde for the roles they played in our loss. Our plan had been to use the princesses as a way to get to the parents, while simultaneously sabotaging The Horde. We’d originally planned to wait on this for a few more years, but then the planet was nearly conquered, split open, and magic returned to the land. We sent some scouts out in to the world to find that The Horde had been defeated and the world was left in near ruins. It was then that her majesty, Queen Sekala, ordered myself as well as many other royal agents to use the highly disorganized world to begin our plan.”

“So, wait, if you guys knew that the world was being taken over by Horde Prime, why didn’t you help us fight back?” asked Catra.

“Your fates were none of our concern” replied Devon. “If Horde Prime had discovered us then we would’ve fought him for our own people, but he didn’t so we were left unbothered by your struggle.

“How did your people manage to hide from Horde Prime?” asked Adora.

Devon smiled. “Our seclusion allowed us to focus on self-improvement. We’ve spent the last twenty years advancing our technology using our own recovered First Ones technology. Including a method that allows us to hide our kingdom from the world, even from The Horde’s scanners. Our homeland’s natural inhabitants also granted us a perimeter between us and Horde Prime’s forces. From what I understand, he tried to establish a base on the island, but was quickly driven off by the monsters.”

“Monsters?” asked Glimmer.

“Yes. Our ancestral home is a large island far from this land that is crawling with dangerous and terrifying creatures who exist for no other reason than to hunt, evolve, and survive” informed Devon.

“Why would anyone live there?” asked Catra.

“We’re a warrior people, sister. Always have been. Our ancestors were drawn to the island’s ferocity and just like its other inhabitants we use the hostility to evolve, become stronger, to always be our best” stated Devon. “That being said. It is a harsh life and despite our technological advances, our city and people are attacked constantly. That’s likely why we abandoned the island to establish ourselves on Etheria centuries ago.”

“Alright so now that we know what happened to your people. Why do you hate The Alliance so much?” asked Adora.

Devon shook his head. “I’m afraid that I’m not the best person to ask that princess. I’ve always been blind so all I know is that discussion turned in to argument and that in turn became fighting, destruction.”

“I wasn’t there during it either, I’m afraid” stated Micah. “All I know is that Queen Bastia apparently tried to establish peace between us and The Horde, but something went wrong. A huge fight broke out, Half Moon was left in ruins, and the Magicats all just disappeared from the face of Etheria the next day. I remember Angella coming home deeply troubled by what happened, but she never told me about it, and with the war going on I guess we kind of just let it be pushed to the back of our minds.”

“So that’s why I’ve never heard any of this before” said Glimmer.

The room was left in an uncomfortable silence before Castaspella spoke up. “So, what’s the story on your people’s end? From what you told us; you all seem to have a unified hatred towards us.”

Devon sighed again. “There are many different accounts of what happened that day. It was in the middle of our home after all, but the general commonality is this. The Alliance and Horde both used their armies to start a fight with our people caught in the crossfire. We lost many, but its Queen Sekala’s account that stokes our hatred towards your side in particular.” The old magicat paused briefly before he glared, or at least as much as he could given his blindness, towards the others. “That Angella struck down our beloved Queen Bastia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that all of the talking wasn't too mind numbing. This will be one of the slower chapters of the fic, but I promise that it will pick up afterwards. Anyways, please comment if you're enjoying the fic so far, and I hope to get the next chapter out tomorrow. Thx for reading!


	3. Welcome Home

The entire room was stunned by the declaration, even Catra who didn’t know Angella was surprised at the claim. “You think my mom killed your queen?” asked Glimmer.

“That’s ridiculous” stated Micah, shaking his head to clear off the surprise. “Angie and Bast were best friends. She would never hurt, let alone kill her friend. Their bond was the reason why Angie even gave the peace attempt a chance after all.”

“I understand your reactions to this” said Devon quietly so as not to further upset the accused’s family. “But you need to understand our view as well. Queen Sekala was Queen Bastia’s sister and head of the royal guard back then. If anyone had born witness to the events that transpired that day if would’ve been the former Queen, King, Sekala, Angella, or Hordak.”

“Then let’s bring Hordak here” said Adora. “If he was there then he could probably give another view of what happened.”

“That won’t be necessary” stated Devon. “My companions had already captured him and the princess of Dryl when I arrived here.”

“So then take us to him and Queen Sekala” ordered Glimmer. “I’m sure that if we all sit down and clear things up then we can come to some kind of understanding. We don’t have to hate each other. Plus, you’ll still have fulfilled you mission to bring us in.”

Devon closed his eyes and sat in silence for nearly a minute before he reopened them. “That’s acceptable. Just know that if this is a trick then the full might and fury of the magicat race will bear down upon you. There will be no escape.”

Everyone in the room shared a resolute glance before they turned back towards the greyed magicat. “Deal” said Glimmer, before motioning for Bow to untie him.

Devon stood and stretched once he was untied then began walking out of the room. “Come” he said.

“Don’t you want your gear back?” asked Catra.

Devon turned his head and smiled slightly. “I’ll leave them here as a show of good faith. Can’t exactly earn your trust if you’re expecting a stab in the back, now can I?”

Everyone shared one more look before they followed the man out, keeping their guard up in case he tried to make a break for it. Catra though lagged behind the others. Melog sensed her hesitation and nudged Adora, getting the blonde’s attention and directing her towards the cat-girl.

“You ok?” asked Adora, once she was beside her girlfriend.

Catra sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, I never really thought of meeting others like me before. I just kind of always accepted that it was just me and focused on living my life. Now, one of my people shows up at my front door to attack and try to kidnap my friends. It’s just, not a great first impression is all. I mean, what if they’re just like I was in The Horde. So, controlled by their hate that they can’t tell right from wrong.”

Adora grabbed Catra’s hand and gazed into her eyes comfortingly. “Listen Catra, I can’t tell you what they’ll be like, but I can tell you that even if they are bad, you are your own person. You made mistakes, everyone does, but you learned from them, so even if they are like you used to be, we just need to hold on to the hope that we can help them to change. Like you did.”

Catra smiled and let her head fall into the crook of Adora’s neck. “Thanks, Adora.”

“Besides, my people weren’t exactly saints either” stated Adora. “I mean, they went around the universe harvesting magic from planets and turned Etheria into a weapon of mass destruction, but Mara and I both worked to fix that.”

“Speaking of, what exactly was your plan for restoring magic to the universe?” asked Catra. “I mean, were we just going to go flying through the universe, stopping at every planet we come across so you can bring it back to life with She-ra?”

“That was the plan, yeah” said Adora.

Catra laughed slightly. “You idiot. Do you have any idea how many planets are out there? Just how long did you expect that would take.”

Adora scratched her cheek in embarrassment. “I don’t know. Maybe a few years?”

“I love you Adora, but sometimes you can be such a dummy” laughed Catra.

Glimmer, Bow, Micah, and Castaspella, looked back at the happy couple and smiled, before the group continued its trek out of the castle and into the Whispering Woods. After about five minutes of walking, they came across a clearing and Devon retrieved a remote from one of his pant’s pouches. He hit a button before and an engine sounding off could be heard faintly before it quickly became louder and a hovering skiff, not to dissimilar to the ones that The Horde once used appeared before the group, landing and remaining on standby before the magicat male climbed onto it and took his place at the helm.

The group began to climb on the vehicle before they noticed that Castaspella wasn’t joining them. “You can all go on without me” she said. “We need someone to stay behind and handle the restoration efforts after all.”

No one could argue with that, so they simply nodded to her. “We’ll be back soon sister” said Micah, before the engine revved up again and the skiff shot off at high speeds into air above the forest and towards the ocean.

The group hung on for dear life as the skiff raced along the land, then sea at an extreme speed. “Anyone else suddenly very worried about the blind guy driving!” asked Bow.

“Don’t worry kid!” shouted Devon, over the wind. “I couldn’t drive these things even if I wanted to. It has an auto pilot function designed to take me home when needed.”

“Can’t you tell it to slow down!” asked Glimmer.

“It would take us forever to get home if we went the standard speed!” answered Devon, the joy in his voice telling them that he was thoroughly enjoying the speed. “Just enjoy the ride!”

It was after nearly twenty minutes that an island appeared on the horizon and the skiff finally began to slow down, reaching a far more reasonably speed once it was flying over the shores. “Finally,” sighed Bow, taking a deep breath to relax with the others before Catra glanced down at the island above them. It was a huge island, covered in thick, tall, and lush trees, which effectively cut off any chance of seeing the ground from those above. Beyond that it had the strangest ecosystem that any of the group had ever seen. There seemed to be an entirely volcanic wasteland taking up the left side of the island, lava pouring from it and into the surrounding ocean, creating a constant and thick wall of steam. On the right side seemed to be a desert, complete with a sandstorm roaming around its surface. It was when Catra looked back towards the beach that she saw the remnants of Horde Prime’s attempted base and tower. It had been completely ruined with scrapes of metal and destroyed buildings littering the beach head.

“How is this place possible?” asked Bow. “These biomes shouldn’t be able to coexist by they seem to almost perfectly.”

“You can thank the First Ones for that” replied Devon. “They used this island as an experiment during their time here. Twisted the island’s natural state and its inhabitants into near abominations that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Luckily, the creatures here seem drawn to this island, so they don’t wander off into the rest of the world."

“So where do your people live on the island?” asked Adora.

“Well assuming that my ship is headed in the right direction. Our destination should be right in front of us” Devon replied, pointing at the mountain that sat in the middle of the island. The mountain that they found themselves careening towards with no real sign of slowing down or landing.

“Uh. We’re heading towards a mountain!” Bow exclaimed.

Devon grinned. “Good, then we’re almost there.”

“We’re going to crash into the mountain!” shouted Glimmer.

“Are you sure that your auto pilot is working right!?” asked Adora.

“Of course, I am. It was built by my daughter” replied Devon.

“Maybe we should ditch the ship and walk on foot” said Catra wearingly.

“You’d never survive the fall” stated Devon. “This way is much safer.”

“Define safer!” said Micah.

“As in you won’t get killed” replied Devon.

Adora stood up and ran to the front of the skiff while yelling, “For the honor of Grayskull!” before transforming into She-ra and turning her sword into a large shield to protect herself and her friends. Only, an impact never came as the mountain seemed to open up and allow the vehicle through. When the others stopped bracing themselves and the shock wore off, they found themselves flying over an industrial city full of buildings and people walking them. Of course, the factories and quaint houses below them only held to the group’s attention for a brief moment before they saw the wonder before them.

The normal and industrial part of the city only seemed to make up the outer rim of the crater that they were in. A crater, not a mountain, they noticed as a look back shown a see-through floating grid that stretched all around the crater and up to a peak above the city. It allowed for sunlight to shine through while keeping the island’s more dangerous inhabitants out. As demonstrated by a large hawk-like monster, that had apparently been following the group was shocked against the barrier and flew off. What really drew everyone’s attention though was a large and shining metal city that formed the center, a large wall separating it from the more normal part of the city. This was clearly the better off part as the buildings were large, the sights were sleek and peaceful, and unlike the cramped town outside of the wall. There seemed to be plenty of space and thought put into this area’s architecture. Where the group seemed to be headed though was the large spire like structure that jutted out from the city. Its base being a magnificent looking silver castle, complete with a large and beautiful garden behind it.

Upon coming to a stop on one of the castle’s surrounding landing pads. Devon immediately leapt from the driver’s seat and took a deep breath. “Returning home is always the best feeling in the world” he said happily. It was a little odd for the group to see the usually serious old man so happy, but that happiness seemed to peek once a voice called out to him.

“Grandpa!” shouted a young woman’s voice as a short and stocky magicat girl ran up to the group and leapt into the old man’s arms. She had tan fur and ears with little tufts of black hair atop each ear’s peak. Doting her coat was also black dots, and her yellow eyes shined with glee. She also seemed to be dressed in the same dark, stealthy attire that the old man was.

“It’s good to see you Lyn!” exclaimed Devon, returning her embrace before he put her down and smiled at her. “How did your mission go?”

“Great! I managed to capture both the flower and scorpion princesses” informed Lyn happily.

“Wait! You guys have Perfuma and Scorpia here?” asked Glimmer.

Lyn instantly became serious and leapt in front of her grandfather. “You were followed grandpa! Don’t worry I’ll take them on!” She was halted though when the old man placed his hands on her shoulders.

“That’s enough of that dear” said Devon. “They’re just here to see the queen. Seems like we may have had a bit of an information mix up.”

Lyn stared down the group uneasily for a few moments, her eyes widening and jaw dropping at Catra, before she relaxed some and backed up slowly to stand beside her grandfather and whisper something to him to which he seemed to stiffen as well and whisper back, Lyn then smiled again and returned to her previous position. “Alright then, but if they try anything, I’ll go feral on their butts.”

Devon laughed. “That’s my girl!”

Once he stopped Devon looked towards the group and motioned them to follow him. “Alright everyone, follow me. Keep your hands to yourself and no wandering off. If all goes well then you can explore the kingdom later.

As the group walked towards and into the castle, they saw many people stare at them and whisper to each other, all while remaining suspicious of the newcomers. They walked through extravagant halls and past incredibly decorated rooms before they stopped before two large metal doors, flanked on both sides by armored guards, who didn’t bother them a glance as they passed. Within the doors was a large room that was empty aside from more exquisite décor, a group of four guards standing at the ascending staircase at the end of it, and two women atop the pedestal. One, was a woman with fur black as night, piercing yellow eyes, and perfectly polishing silver armor, holding a sharp looking silver staff at her side and watching the group with a glare that made them feel like her prey. The other woman though garnered far more attention though. Her tanned fur, familiar features, and heterochronic eyes of blue and yellow causing every one of the new arrivals to stare at her in shock before looking towards a stunned Catra.

The woman in question wore beautiful silver clothing that appeared to shine in the natural lighting that came through the rooms many windows. Her slender frame lay sprawled atop a large and comfortable looking cushion as she sipped something from her glass, analyzing the newcomers with a calm and calculating stare before her eyes reached Catra’s own. Then the regal woman promptly spit out her drink onto her seat and floor before coughing violently, the woman beside her nonchalantly patting her on the back, all the while glaring at Catra.

Once her coughing fit had subsided the woman rose from comfortable spot and began walking down the stairs in an almost daze. She walked right past the others and straight towards Catra before she grabbed her face to study it. “Cyra?” she asked breathlessly. This caused the other magicats in the room to lose nearly all composure and gap at the pair, aside from the dark furred woman whose eyes widened for a split second before returning to a professional glare.

“Uh, what?” asked Catra, before she was swept up into a spinning hug by the taller, near mirror image of herself.

“It really is you! Oh, it’s been so long! I never thought I’d see you again!” cheered the woman, before putting Catra back down and placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders with a smile. “And you’ve gotten so big! My word, you look almost exactly like her now! It’s so-“ The woman started to say before she backed up slightly and soughed into her hand to regain some composure. “Ahem, sorry about that. I’m Queen Sekala,” she introduced with a bow before looking back up at Catra with a toothy grin. “and also, your aunt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'll admit. It's kind of predictable at this point to have Catra be "the lost princess", but there's more to this fic than that I swear. That being said please comment if you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to have the next one out tomorrow! Thx for reading!
> 
> Side note: All of the ocs' names so far share a theme and I'm curious to see who might be able to figure it out. If you can then please let me know and I'll get back to you on your guesses, thx!


	4. Family

“What the heck is an aunt?” asked Catra, completely ignoring everyone’s shock for her own confusion.

Sekala smile dropped for a slight moment before she regained it. “Well sweetheart. I’m your mother’s sister.”

Catra eyes immediately widened at her realization. “Wait! You mean that my mom was Bastia?”

Sekala smiled toothily and stood up straight with her hands on her hips, seemingly beaming with pride. “Yup! And I’ve gotta say that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. You look so beautiful!” the queen gushed, before wrapping Catra up in another spinning hug, before placing her back down and cradling her face again. “You even have her freckles. You know, growing up that was the only real way that our parents and others were ever able to tell us apart. They never admitted that of course, but it was pretty obvious.”

Catra batted the older woman’s hands away and seemingly leapt back to regain her personal space. “Would you stop touching me!” shrieked Catra.

Sekala was shocked for a moment before flushing and scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Right, sorry about that dear. I’m just so overjoyed to have you back!” Her expression and eyes then sank into a mournful and reminiscent state. “When Halfmoon fell, I thought I’d lost my entire family at once. It was so devastating, losing not only my sister and brother-in-law, but also my niece and nephew in one afternoon.”

“Wait. Nephew?” asked Glimmer. “You mean that Catra had a brother?”

Sekala finally turned to regard the others in the room with a calculating glance. “Hmm” she hummed, before suddenly rushing over to study everyone closer. Uncomfortably close, as she leapt towards Glimmer first and grabbed her face, turning it to see it from different angles. She then adjusted her arms and circled the magic girl to study her figure, before finally sniffing the air around her slightly. After that quick moment she stopped again in front of Glimmer and glared slightly at the girl before crossing over towards Bow. She pretty much did the same thing with him, except she left out the glare, examined one of his arrows, and poked him lightly in his exposed stomach, causing the boy to jump slightly. Afterwards she moved on to Adora, whom she sniffed first and seemingly immediately perked up and became skeptical of her at the same time. Once she was finished examining the First One, she moved on to Melog. The magicat queen cooed at the alien shapeshifter, not even bothering to examine it before she began petting, and rubbing her face on its own. Until finally, the woman moved on to the final visitor and instantly recognized him. “Micah!” she exclaimed before lifting him off of the ground in a hug. “I heard you died!”

Once he was placed back on the ground, the sorcerer doubled over to catch his breath, apparently, she’d hugged him a little too hard. “Well, I didn’t” he replied.

“And Angella? How’s she doing? Is she fine? If so I’d very much like to meet up with her so we can settle something” stated Sekala, the suddenly extreme passive aggressiveness in her attitude along with a gripped fist and strained smile telling everyone in the room that it wouldn’t be a friendly meeting.

Micah sighed, still not over the fact that his wife was lost to him forever. “No. She-, she’s gone.”

Sekala’s smile immediately faded into an almost pout. “Well that’s a shame. I was really hoping to get her get her position on something. Although, I doubt that she would’ve sent her husband and daughter to talk to me if she was still alive.”

“You know who I am?” asked Glimmer.

Sekala turned to regard the smaller queen with a frown. “Yes, I do. I can practically smell her genes in you. Not to mention your connection to the Moonstone.”

“Actually, that’s one of the reasons we came here. To try and clear Queen Angella’s name with you and your people” explained Adora.

“Look kid, there’s nothing to discuss. I saw that woman collapse the passage that my sister and brother in law were in with my own eyes” snarled Sekala.

“But that’s impossible. My mom would never hurt her friend” stated Glimmer.

“She’s right. Angie and Bastia were best friends for years” added Micah. “What happened was likely an accident that looked like it had happened intentionally.”

“I know what I saw Micah” argued Sekala, baring her fangs and claws, causing the others in the room to tense. She then took a deep, and shaky breath, to calm herself before she spoke again. “That being said, she’s gone and our issues along with them. Meaning that I have no reason to hold anything against any of you.” The queen looked over towards Catra and smiled. “Especially since it seems that you’ve taken good care of my niece over the years.” Sekala then shrugged and began walking back to the stairs. “Not sure how I feel yet about her having a princess for a mate, but I suppose that could help to alleviate the people’s fears and biases.”

Catra and Adora blushed at that statement before the magicat suddenly remembered the other reason why they’d come here. “Speaking of princesses. We also came here to rescue our friends you kidnapped” she said.

Sekala sprawled back on her cushioned “throne”; which had been replaced by an attendant during the earlier commotion, and regarded them somewhat lazily now. “Right, right. Devon, Lyn, mind heading down and bringing their friends back up with you?”

“Of course, your majesty” said Devon, bowing to her along with his granddaughter before the pair left the room.

“Really? Just like that? After everything that’s happened?” asked Catra.

“Like I said sweetheart. Now that I know Angella’s gone I have no reason to be hostile towards any of you” replied Sekala. “After all, the sins of the parent should never pass to the child.”

“But you attacked and kidnapped them. Do you really just expect them to forget that and follow your people back here without trying to fight back?” asked Glimmer.

Sekala thought for a moment before she turned towards her stern guardian. “Pan, maybe you should take sparkles here, so her friends don’t damage the palace.”

Catra tried to suppress a laugh at her aunt using the same nickname for Glimmer that she did, but failed causing said princess to glare at her. The dark furred woman visibly winced and turned to regard her ruler. “With respect your majesty. I can’t just leave you with these people. Perhaps we should send another guard with them?” 

“Oh, come on Pan. I know it’s been a few years since I’ve actively fought, but I haven’t gotten that tubby yet” whined Sekala before she suddenly looked panicked and prodded her stomach. “Wait. Have I?”

Pan immediately lost her composure at the other woman’s panic. “N-no of course not your majesty. I’m certain that you’re still as lean and capable a warrior as ever.”

Sekala immediately relaxed again with a grin. “Then I should be fine by myself for a bit then. Right?” 

Her smile and question caused Pan to sigh and regain her composure. “Please don’t trick me like that your majesty. You know I hate it.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun of having an over protective guardian if you can’t play a prank on them every now and again?” asked Sekala. “Now hurry up so you can get back to me. I’m sure that the others can keep me safe until then.”

Pan regarded the four guards who stood at the foot of the stairs and then saluted the queen. “Very well your majesty.” She then proceeded down the stairs and walked right past Glimmer at a brisk pace. “Come” she ordered simply, not even bothering to stop and see if the young ruler was actually following her.

Glimmer shared a concerned look with Adora and Catra before her hand was grabbed by Bow, who smiled at her when she looked at him. “We’ll go together” he said, causing her to smile before they began following the dark furred woman out of the throne room.

“We’ll be back in a bit” said Glimmer to her friends and father.

“Actually, Pan!” called Sekala from her seat. “Bring them to the dining room afterwards!” The doors then shut before a response could be heard. “All of this pudgy talk is getting me munchy” muttered Sekala, prodding her stomach. She then leapt to her feet and clasped her hands together. “So, how about it? Who wants lunch?” she asked.

It was then that Micah’s stomach grumbled, and he chuckled in embarrassment. “Well, I never did have breakfast” he answered.

“Well alright then!” exclaimed Sekala with a grin, before leaping down the stairs gracefully and walking towards Catra, slinging her arm over the younger magicat’s shoulders and leading the girl towards the room’s exit. “I can’t wait for you to try our cuisine. Best chefs in the world right here in the palace. Hands down.” She thought pouted her lips in thought. “Granted I haven’t eaten anything, anywhere else in the world over the past twenty-years so I might be a little biased, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s delicious.”

Catra passed a weary look back at her girlfriend, who just smiled and shrugged before following the pair along with Micah and the four guards. While the group walked down the halls of the palace, Sekala filled the silence with asking her niece all kinds of questions about her life, Catra answered what she could and wanted to, but her attention was suddenly pulled away when they passed by a large, framed portrait and she stopped.

“Catra?” asked Adora stopped beside her girlfriend to see the other woman’s eyes glued to the painting. “What’s wro-“ She started to ask before her own gaze met the object of the cat-girl’s attention and froze herself. “Is that?”

“It is” replied Micah, taking his place beside the two, a somber but reminiscent tone in his voice. Before the group was a stunning portrait of the royal family. First was a younger Sekala, who seemed slightly irritated with the picture, though her small smile gave away that she was fond of the others in the picture with her. She wasn’t wearing the beautiful garments that she was now, instead she wore a full suit of silver armor, similar to Pan’s own, and was gripping a silver spear in her left hand. Beside her, with his left arm swung around Sekala’s shoulders to seemingly hold the woman in the picture, was a large, easily eight-foot-tall magicat man. He had blond hair that was brushed back, the length meeting his shoulders, a tamed, but full, beard that framed his gleaming and joyful smile, his darker blond fur was somewhat hidden by the fancy silver clothes that he was dressed in, though they couldn’t seem to hide his impressive build beneath, and lastly his yellow eyes shown with the same kind of happiness that his grin conveyed. On the man’s other side and beneath his other arm was a woman who looked, exactly like an older Catra. She had the younger girl’s fur, hair, eyes, nose, freckles, everything, the only thing that was really different between the two is that the older woman seemed truly happy and carefree, her own smile, though far more tamed than the man’s, still displayed the same joy. The woman was dressed in her own elegant and stunning silver gowns, but that wasn’t what really stunned Catra. No, what stunned her was the small baby that the woman held in her arms. Though it may have been hard to tell for some, given the child’s age and the fact that it seemed to be sleeping in the picture, Catra could easily tell that it was her. Her gaze was then drawn to the final person in the frame, a young boy who wore a grin as bright as his father’s and wore an outfit just as fitting. His own blond fur clashing somewhat with his short brown hair, and his heterochronic blue and yellow eyes shown with delight. He was placed in front of his father and stood proudly with his hands on his waist.

“T-that’s” Catra managed to squeak out, tears forming in her eyes and rolling down her eyes as reality finally hit her. She was home, her true home, her people’s home, the one where she would’ve been raised by her family if nothing had gone wrong. She would’ve had a loving and genuinely happy family, free of the hatred and pain that she’d been forced to experience instead. ‘No Shadow Weaver, no fright zone, no horde, no child soldier training, no bullies, no abuse, no Shadow Weaver, no-‘ her thoughts were then halted immediately as she turned to the woman beside her. Adora’s own attention was still stuck on the portrait, so she didn’t notice Catra’s frightened look at her. ‘No Adora.’

A hand then gripped Catra’s shoulder from behind and she turned to see her aunt gazing mournfully at the picture herself. “That’s your family sweetheart” she stated with a frown. “Queen Bastia, King Baro, myself, you, and your older brother Lionel. Not a day goes by when I don’t pass by this very painting and wish that I could have them back. If only I’d had the sense back then to talk my sister out of that ridiculous peace talk. The strength to protect them, or the speed to save them in time.” The queen’s gaze then dropped to stare her niece in the eyes, her own filled with tears that threatened to fall. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t help them Cyra.” She then hugged the shorted girl tightly and whispered. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you.”

Catra stiffened slightly at the display of affection, but quickly returned it once she allowed her emotions to take over. “It’s alright Sekala” muttered Catra, gripping the other magicat tightly. “I’m sure you did everything that you could to save them, to save me, but we can’t change the past.” She then let her gaze drift to Adora, who was watching the hug with a sad smile, and frowned sadly. “No matter how much we may want to.” The pair held each other for what seemed like an hour, letting their pent-up emotions out, before they finally separated.

Sekala gripped Catra’s shoulders firmly, but gently, and gave her a bittersweet smile. “I am so glad to have you back sweetheart.” The tender moment was ruined however when another stomach grumble broke the silence and Sekala let her head fall with a chuckle. “You always did know how to ruin a moment Micah” she laughed.

Adora then chuckled gaining everyone’s attention, the blonde smiling shyly and rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Actually, that was me.”

It was then Catra’s turned to laugh. “Yeah, Adora definitely knows how to ruin a moment too” she chuckled, remembering back when they were in the horde and Adora ruined a sweet moment between the two of them when she mentioned that Catra should be friends with Lonnie.

With the mood officially ruined, the group continued their walk down the hallway, though Catra spared one more glance to the portrait until it was out of sight, until they came upon a grand dinning room, the large table in the center being easily big enough to seat twenty people comfortably. The table had apparently already been made, as it was fully laid out with everything one would need for a dinner party, short of actual food. Sekala took her place at the opposite end of the table, next to an extinguished fire place and motioned for Catra to sit beside her. 

When taking her seat, Catra noticed another painting, this one of an older magicat, around Sekala’s age, who wore dirty and tattered clothes. He’d apparently just been in a big fight, his brown fur and short hair being dirty and disheveled, and was standing atop a peak holding an equally tattered flag that had its pole planted in the ground beside him and his other hand was raised in a fist. His mouth was opened in a roar that apparently inspired those beneath him, as their own fists were raised towards him. “Who’s that?” asked Catra.

Her aunt smiled, knowing exactly who her niece was referring to without even having to look backwards. After all, that picture was the one of the oldest ones in their people’s history. “That my dear, is your ancestor. The first known king of our people and the one who fought to liberate us from our former captures, King Fusama.”

Catra stared in surprising wonder at the depicted man before her. Everything about him radiated power, conviction, and hope, even despite the fact that he seemed almost malnourished given how much his ribs were showing. In fact, she couldn’t really say that she’d be surprised if there were stories of him taking out entire enemy battalions on his own, all for the sake of his people. And she was apparently related to this man. In fact, when Catra looked closer, she could nearly make out his own blue and yellow heterochronic eyes.

“Your people were captured?” asked Adora from her place beside her girlfriend.

Sekala smiled dropped and she sighed. “Enslaved would be a more accurate term, by the First Ones” she replied causing the others to stare at her in bewilderment and slight fear. “You see, our people are originally from another planet. We were brought here to work as laborers by our former masters, given our naturally enhanced and superior abilities. They had us build their structures, harvest materials that they needed, and even had a some of us work as guards to keep the planet’s various creatures, who didn’t exactly take kindly to their home being used and drained. In fact, the entire upper city and this palace were once a First Ones’ city and research lab.” Catra was stunned and looked over to Adora, looked absolutely horrified herself, before going back to her aunt, who was now frowning with concern. “Is something the matter dears?” asked the queen.

Catra racked her brain for an answer, but before she could give one, their friends emerged from the hallway. They all seemed fine and happy, except for their somewhat tense looks at the guards and their own escort, which seemed to be just Pan now, who quickly took her place at her charge’s side once more. Together the group greeted their friends one by one, except for Catra and Scorpia, who unfortunately still weren’t past all of their issues, and sat down at the table.

Once they did though Sekala stood up. “Attention everyone! I’d like to start by saying that I’m deeply sorry for all that my people and I have done to you over the past few hours. It was a regretful and misguided attempt at a personal grudge of ours against the former princess alliance and we should not have dragged you all into it. I’m sorry” she ended with a bow.

The room was quiet until Frosta spoke up. “And you are?”

The magicat woman instantly straightened up with wide eyes before grinning in embarrassment. “Right, sorry about that. I’m not really used to having guests whom I have to apologize to. My name is Sekala, and I’m queen of the magicats.”

“So, you did survive the Halfmoon incident?” said Hordak from him place on the far end of the table, Entrapta separating him from the princesses.

Sekala glared back at the former military leader. “We did. Not for your armies lack of trying to kill us I’m sure.”

Hordak was about argue when Entrapta’s hair gripped his hand and he forced himself to calm down. “I can assure you that it was nothing personal. You simply posed too great of a possible ally to the rebellion to allow you to remain.”

“Aha, so the Horde were the ones who caused the fight at Halfmoon!” exclaimed Glimmer, jumping to her feet in triumph.

“It’s true that we were the ones who started the battle, but we didn’t cause the deaths of your sister and her husband” stated Hordak calmly.

“And just how do you know that?” asked Glimmer skeptically.

Hordak glared at the young queen. “My soldiers were ordered to capture the royal family, Not to kill them.” His gaze then passed to Catra for a brief, but searing glance. “Suffice to say that we were only successful capturing one of them, but once your people all but vanished from Etheria, she was no longer of use to me.”

Catra stood up abruptly and had to keep herself from leaping across the table and attacking the pale man in her rage. “You knew the truth about my past this entire time and didn’t tell me!?”

“There was no reason to” stated Hordak. “Without your people around, I had no use for you as a pawn, so my only option was to use you as a soldier. Your people have always been known for their natural prowess in battle. I simply took advantage of that fact.”  
Everyone in the room glared at Hordak before Entrapta barged in to break the tension. “So your highness, I noticed that this entire castle seems to be a First Ones building. Do you think that I could get a tour of it as well as of any other relics that you may have here? I’ll let you take a look at our First Ones ship if you do!”

Sekala’s rage was almost instantly extinguished at the purple haired girl’s interruption. “You have a First Ones ship?” she asked.

“Yeah! Darla’s admittedly a bit old, but I’ve been fixing her up with some other First Ones tech that we’ve managed to recover over the years” explained Entrapta.

Sekala nodded. “I can understand that. You have no idea just how difficult it is to maintain a First Ones city. The material that they used to construct this place isn’t even from Etheria.”

“Speaking of not being from Etheria. Do you have any idea where our home world is?” asked Catra.

Sekala shook her head. “I’m afraid not sweetheart. Apparently the First Ones went and purged a lot of their data when they abandoned the planet. In fact, we can’t even remember its name. The only reason we even know of it is from stories that our people have kept close to our hearts for generations now.”

“Ok, wait” interrupted Mermista. “So, on top of Adora not being from Etheria, Catra isn’t either?”

Sekala nodded. “That’s rig-“ She then stopped once she realized what had been said. “Wait. What do you mean Adora isn’t from Etheria?”

“Yeah when she was a baby, Adora” Glimmer started before she noticed Catra and Adora motioning for her to stop. “Uh, well Adora, she, she’s actually.”

“From another world” interrupted Hordak, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. “I figured the statement enough would have been an obvious enough clue.”

“So where are you from Adora?” asked Sekala.

“She wouldn’t know” answered Hordak again. “I spent years attempting to create a portal that would allow my broth-Horde Prime, to travel to Etheria so we could conquer it together. During one of my botched experiments, Adora ended up coming through the portal. It hadn’t been open long enough for me to see where it led and Adora had only been an infant at the time so I doubt that she would remember.”

The room was silent for nearly an entire minute, with everyone but the native magicats being stunned at the former lord’s apparent attempt to cover for Adora. They then jumped slightly when Sekala suddenly stood up and walked over to Adora before she hugged the blond from her side. “I’m so sorry to here that dear” she said quietly. “It must’ve been hard growing up in a place you didn’t fit in.”

“Um, thank you ma’am” said Adora awkwardly. “But actually, I feel right at home on Etheria. I’ve got friends, family, and-“ she then trailed off to look at Catra, who shared a tender look with the blond which made Adora smile. “I love it here. This may not be my people’s home, but it’s mine.”

“Awww” said Glimmer before teleporting across the table to join the hug.

Everyone smiled fondly at the scene, except for Hordak who groaned, before the kitchen staff began filling into the dinning room. As the group began to eat the delicious cuisine in front of them, Adora felt Catra’s hand gently grasp her own under the table and Melog rub itself against her leg. The couple shared one more loving glance at each other before they dug in, Catra however spared the painting of her ancestor one more look and frowned, hiding it behind the leg of meat that she was holding in front of her, before glancing across the room at her “friends” from the rebellion.

‘Right’ she though somberly. ‘My home.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long to come out. To be honest, I originally wrote another chapter quickly, but I Really wasn't happy with it upon re-read, so I took it down and decided to take a bit more time with this one. Kinda lost my stride for a while there afterword. Anyways, I hope this chapter wasn't too jumbled and that you all enjoyed it! I really hope to get another chapter out quickly and look forward to reading whatever comments you all happen to have. Thx for reading!


	5. Responsibilities

“No” answered Catra simply causing her aunt to frown.

“Awww, come on sweetheart” pouted Sekala. “Everyone will be so happy to see that you’ve returned to us.”

“I haven’t returned” stated Catra, through gritted teeth. “I’m only here to rescue my friends and leave. I’m not just going to uproot my entire life to live like a princess with people I know nothing about in a kingdom that I didn’t even know existed until today.”

“Well technically you’d be living here like a queen” said Sekala with a smile. “Seeing as how you are the rightful heir to the throne and of age to inherit it, then you’d be sworn in as the new Magicat Queen!”

“I don’t want to be a queen!” shouted Catra, slamming her fists down on the table in frustration. “I’ve spent most of my life hating princesses and now you suddenly want me to be one of them. I don’t want to be a ruler. I don’t want anyone to rely on me. Heck, I don’t even know the first thing about our people. I mean, what do you really expect to happen when you come before the masses with a total stranger and say that she’s going to be leading them.”

“I expect them to accept it and move on with their lives” Sekala replied with a steely demeanor and tone that sent chills down the room’s occupants’ spines. “The first rule you need to learn about our people it that they’ve no time for questions. We’re a constantly do-or-die race, especially in the land we live. The royal family are the only ones with the privilege to question our path and the others have always trusted our judgement. If they refuse then they know that they are always more than welcome to fight us for our throne.”

“Wait, your people fight for the right to rule?” asked Netossa.

Sekala nodded. “Indeed, and throughout all of our years only three have ever opposed the royal family.” She then grinned with a ferocity that made everyone tense and nearly prepare for a fight. “And they have all failed.”

“Why did they try to overthrow you?” asked Perfuma.

Sekala shrugged simply and immediately seemed bored. “Eh, you know. One was man who thought that the king back then was too soft. Another was an evil sorceress who attempted to over through the then King and Queen, my parents by the way, who was actually defeated by your father Cyra, King Baro, winning him my dear sister’s heart. And lastly, was a little upstart who tried to depose me some years ago.”

“And, what happened to the losers?” asked Scorpia, slightly afraid of the answer.

“Dead, dead, and defeated” replied Sekala, like it was no big deal for her. “Not that the runt has made my rule any easier since then mind you. Ever since I graciously spared their life, they’ve been showing up ever now and then to stir up trouble in the slums.”

“How do you know that they’re the same person from back then?” asked Glimmer.

“Well, when I won I took the little runt’s eye as punishment” answered Sekala with a smile, causing everyone to feel once again shaken beneath her gaze. “You can probably guess just how many of our young have one eye.”

“And he hasn’t tried to replace it with something so he can hide?” inquired Mermista.

“One of the things that our people take pride in is our eyes. In fact, for the longest time much of our society has revolved around it. You see, our genetics are very distinctive and often times ones eye color will determine their role in society. Yellow eyes make up around sixty percent of our people and tend to be the physically capable of the two. It’s because of this that they live on the front lines in the town below working as hunters, smiths, and doing the general labor that a kingdom requires to function properly. Next are the blue eyes, which make up the other near forty percent of our society. They tend to be far more progressive and intellectually capable, which is why they live here, constantly studying this First Ones city, creating new technology for our peoples’ benefit and working towards the future in safety rather than simply surviving in the present like those below. Finally, are our eyes” she said, hugged Catra from the side with a smile. “We are an extremely unique and rare combination of the two which allow us to be the perfect ruler that our people need at the moment, whether that be a warrior or a politician.”

“I don’t know” pondered Bow. “Doesn’t it seem kind of wrong, to separate your people based off the color of their eyes?”

“Yeah, I mean. What if someone with yellow eyes was extremely intelligent, or a blue eyes was an incredible warrior?” added Glimmer.

Sekala waved dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about that kids. We aren’t as strict as you might believe. Well, not anymore anyway. There are plenty of people who display far more promise than the societal norm. Like Lyn for instance, she has yellow eyes, but she’s living up here with her family as a member of the royal guard and her parents are both yellow eyed scientists for the city. Also, science has shown that Devon is actually a blue eye under all that blindness, but he’s still one of our most capable warriors.”

“So, what does that have to do with the kid whose eye you gou-“ Mermista started to say before she glanced across the table at Frosta, who was seated between Scorpia and Perfuma, and changed her colorful language. “Removed.”

“Oh right. Well the reason I did that is because losing one’s eye is the ultimate sign of disgrace amongst our people and one they have to bear” explained Sekala. “Glass eyes would only bring more shame and we haven’t quite advanced to cybernetics implants yet, so for now he has to bare that mark.” She then turned her attention back to Catra and smiled again. “Yet another reason why the people would have to accept you as their queen, even that runt. Your eyes prove you to be of royal blood and seeing as how I won’t be having kids anytime soon due to numerous, reasons.” The queen paused briefly to spare a glance at Pan, who flushed slightly, though no one who didn’t know her well would ever be able to tell. “You’re the only one who could take over.”

“I don’t want to take over” groaned Catra. “Maybe it’s time for our people to just rule themselves.”

Sekala laughed at the notion. “That would never work Cyra. Trust me, you didn’t see just how quickly our people fell apart after my sister passed. Sure, our people are far stronger and smarter than any of Etheria’s other inhabitants,” This earned a glare from the room’s none magicat inhabitants, though the queen either didn’t notice or care. “but they’ve always lacked the ability to be independent. I mean, even from what records we could manage to scavenge about our home planet it seemed that they lived in tribes with leaders.”

“Well then let them pick another ruler then” groaned Catra. “Do WE really have to be the ones to tell them how to live their lives?”

“Yes Cyra” answered Sekala, with a glare. “Our people have always relied on us to keep them alive and that’s exactly what we’re going to keep doing. It’s YOUR duty.

“Well they’re not MY people, so they shouldn’t be MY problem!” argued Catra, her argument enforced by an angered red Melog. Pan took immediate action against the shapeshifter’s aggression with her own and stood slightly in front of her queen with her spear at its neck and a growl of her own.

Sekala bared her claws and glared back at her niece. “I don’t care what you think of them Cyra! They ARE YOUR people and YOUR responsibility! I am NOT going to let them die off because you’re to stubborn to even try and care about them!”

The room was silent at the heated atmosphere that filled the room as the four stood off with their claws and fangs bared. Adora then managed to break the tension by standing up and wrapping Catra up in a hug from behind. “Please calm down Catra” whispered Adora. “You just found your family. You can’t lose them over some heat-of-the-moment words.”

Catra felt her anger melt away, not only from Adora’s embrace, but also from the pain and sadness hidden in the girl’s words. ‘Come on Catra, calm down. Adora’s gone her whole life wondering about her family and here you are showing her that looking for them might not be worth it.’ Catra took a calming breath and let her claws retract. “Look Sekala” started Catra with a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be a ruler. I’ve been in charge before and I hated it. As much as I do want to get to know you, my people, and my home; I just don’t want to have the chance to let power go to my head again.”

Sekala sighed too, motioning for Pan to stand down, and spoke. “I’m sorry too Cyra. It’s just that, ever since your mother passed away I’ve been running myself in to the ground trying to fill her shoes but, I’m not Bastia.” The princesses were then shocked when they noticed that the queen had begun crying. “She was so kind, passionate, strong, intelligent, practically made for this role really. Me though, I’m a warrior. Fighting is honestly the only thing that I’ve ever really been good at and she even kicked my butt in that sometimes.” The woman then glancing up to look at her niece, her tear ridden eyes practically causing Catra to appear as Bastia. “I’m not her Cyra, but I was hoping that you could be. That you could finally take this burden off of my shoulders and I wouldn’t have to deal with the fear of everyone comparing me to her anymore.” She then sat down, slumped and defeated. “At the end of the day though I guess I was just being selfish. Thinking about what I wanted more than everything that I would be forcing on to you.”

Everyone was then shocked as Catra stepped over to hug her aunt. “It’s alright Aunt Sekala. Maybe, maybe I was being a bit selfish too. Maybe, I could at least try to see if I’d like it here.”

Sekala looked up to meet her niece’s gaze and laughed slightly with a smile. “That’s all I can ask for sweetheart. For a chance to show you your home and introduce you to the people that your mother loved with all of her heart.”

Catra smiled and stood up. “Alright then, I guess I can agree to a trail run at least.”

Sekala wiped away her tears and stood up herself. “That’s fair, and if by chance you happen to love it here and decide that you want to stay, know that I’ll always be by your side to help you out with anything you might need.”

Scorpia then sniffed, drawing everyone’s attention, to see that the woman was crying herself. “I’m just so happy that you two managed to work everything out. That was a beautiful family moment.”

Perfuma then stood from her seat to comfort the emotional woman, causing most of the room to smile at the somewhat mushy display between the two.

Adora then lost her smile. “So, your majesty” she started.

“Oh, please dear, call me Sekala” stated the queen. “There are no need for such formalities from my niece’s mate.”

Catra bristled at that. “She’s not my-“

“Anyway” interrupted Adora. “how long will you be wanted Catra to stay with you for? I mean, she will be allowed to come see us. Right?”

“What are you talking about Adora? You’ll be staying with me. Right?” asked Catra, somewhat scared that the blonde might say no. “It’s alright with you if my Girlfriend stays here with me? Right, Sekala?”

Catra noticed the slight pained twitch in her aunt’s smile, but just decided to save that away for later. “Of course, sweetheart. Anything to make you feel more comfortable here.” She then suddenly turned towards the rest of the table. “The rest of you will need to leave soon though. I can’t exactly predict how our people would react to knowing that our long-time hated enemies were all here after all.”

“But we can’t just leave our friends here?” stated Perfuma.

“Yeah. No offense Sekala” Netossa started before she was cut off by the queen.

“It’s Queen Sekala to the rest of you” stated the magicat woman sternly. “I do have to keep up appearances after all.”

“Right” replied Netossa, voice heavy with suspicion and sarcasm. “Well no offence, your majesty, but you haven’t exactly been friendly to us since we arrived here. What’s to stop you from trying to use our friends against us once we’re gone?”

Sekala smiled. “Ooooh, you’re smart. I like that in a woman.”

“Yeah well, I’m happily married so can you answer the question already?” asked Netossa.

“And feisty too! You’re one lucky woman Spinnerella” stated Sekala, grinning happily at the couple.

Spinnerella smiled and gripped her wife’s hand firmly and lovingly. “Believe me, I know. But please, could you answer her question rather than flitting around the subject.”

Sekala shrugged. “Fair enough. The short answer is that you really can’t know if I will or not beyond my word. I’ll admit that I didn’t exactly make a great first impression at gaining your trust, but I hope to make amends for that starting today in the hopes that our people may hopefully be able to live in harmony just as we used to.”

“Look Netossa, we’ll be fine. Trust me” stated Catra, sharing a look with said princess. “If anything goes wrong you know that Adora, Melog, and I’ll be able to get out of it. And if we can’t then there are always your contingency plans. Right?”

Netossa smiled at Catra’s respect for her strategies and passed a look towards Mermista before nodding. “I’m sure that I could think of something.”

“Alright then” said Sekala happily, clapping her hands together. “We can go over the finer details later, but for now let’s just see the rest of you off and then I can show the three of you to where you’ll be sleeping for at least the next couple of months.”

“Couple of months!” shouted Catra, before she collapsed back in to her chair with a groan. Her hand was then cradled by Adora, who smiled softly at her side, and Melog placed its head in her lap. Catra instantly felt more relaxed knowing that the two would be at her side and smiled softly. She then glanced over at her grinning Aunt, then the stern-faced Pan, before finally allowing her gaze to rest on her ancestor’s liberation picture. ‘Just a couple of months Catra’ she thought. ‘You can do this.’

\- Meanwhile in the slums below

A black clothed figure skipped merrily down a back alley. The surrounding wood and stone buildings along with the dirt road showing none of the elegance and beauty of the towering silver city above. Once the figure had reached a seemingly dead end, they began to stretch before they suddenly leapt towards a surrounding wall. From there they used their agility to leap from one surface to the next, steadily climbing higher and higher until they managed to reach a balcony that stretched above the other buildings. High enough to get a clear view of the city above and surrounding mountain wall, but not so much as to stick out like a sore thumb in the village. Once the figure had reached the platform, they stepped inside of the darkened room and called out. “Anyone ho-“

The black clad person was then tackled to the ground from behind and its arm was twisted behind its back. “Hey Kora” groaned the pinned figure, trying to sound happy despite the numbing in their face from hitting the ground.

“Lyn” replied the opposing woman, before she relaxed her grip on her prisoner and stood up straight. “We gave you a code word specifically to avoid this kind of situation you know?”

Lyn sat herself up and pulled off her mask, which had been displaced in an extremely uncomfortable position from the sneak attack, and smiled. “Yeah, but I kind of forgot it.”

Kora sighed. Her silver fur shining in the sun light that shown through the balcony’s open door, and calm blue eyes evaluating the younger magicat before they relaxed into a far more compassionate gaze. “Considering it was your own name, I highly doubt that Lyn” she said softly, the initial edge in her voice long gone. “We can catch up later though. I’m guessing that you have some news from the palace for us?”

Lyn nodded, her smile growing larger. “Yup! And believe me it’s a doozy” stated the teenager before she lost her smile and glanced around the dark room. “Where’s Le? Still asleep?”

Kora shook her head. “No, she went down to the square to see if there was anyone who needed help today?”

Lyn groaned and flopped down on to her back. “She’s way too reckless Kora. Sekala’s always posting guards down there in hopes of catching her.”

A laugh then drew the attention of the pair, drawing their gaze over to one of the darker corners of the room, a lone yellow eye staring back at them with an amused gaze. “I don’t know whether I should take that as an insult or compliment coming from you Lyn” said a woman’s voice.

“An insult/compliment” replied Kora and Lyn at the same time causing the young woman to share an unamused glare with the highly amused teen.

“In all seriousness though Leonie. You need to be more careful” stated Kora with a concerned look on her face. “Sekala is constantly raising her bounty of you and someone is bound to turn you in eventually.”

“No one’s going to turn me in Kory” said Leonie confidently, as she leapt on to a nearby recliner to lounge. Her blonde fur and long brown hair slightly muddied from her outing in to the city. “Everyone in this town looks out for their own. It’s the code of the Outers, and no amount of money can change that.”

Kora groaned at her friend’s lack of self-preservation. “At the very least you should take me with you when you go out.”

Leonie shrugged. “Yeah alright. Hey, maybe if you play with the kids then you’ll loosen up a bit.”

“Is that why you’re so muddy today?” asked Kora, crossing her arms under her chest to try and give off an authoritative vibe. “Mud that, by the way, you’re getting all over MY chair.”

“Don’t get your tail in a floof Kory. I’ll clean it later” stated Leonie, turning sideways to look directly at the other two women. “For now, though I want to hear what you’ve learned Lyn.”

The teen perked up and leapt on to her feet. “Right! So, it all stated when Sekala sent us out to capture the Princess Alliance members.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters aren't coming out as quickly as I thought they'd be, but truthfully I'm not easily self motivated and honestly the lack of comments last chapter got me a little sluggish. Hopefully this one will catch more people's interest though and I can start to get chapters out quickly again. Anyways, please let me know what you think of the fic so far and thx for reading!


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